One of the enduring memories from the 2023 NBA Finals for Nuggets fans will always be Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray matching each other with 30-point triple-doubles in a clutch Game 3 win.
Eight months later, in their first rematch against the Miami Heat since that series, the Nuggets had to survive a half without Murray, who sprained his right ankle landing on teammate Aaron Gordon in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Jokic's recent super-efficient stretch of games was encountering an obstacle as he shot 6 for 15 from the floor.
So the defending champs instead found life for most of the night in Michael Porter Jr., the sharpshooter who couldn't buy a bucket in his first career NBA Finals. Porter amassed 30 points and 11 rebounds along with impressive defensive activity in a 103-97 win Thursday night at Ball Arena.
"It was a great series. … I was just looking forward to the rematch," Porter said. "I'm so far past a bad shooting stretch in the Finals."
The Heat trailed 94-81 with 5:19 remaining, but Terry Rozier's shot-making helped close the gap in clutch time. After a Jokic offensive foul in the last minute with a four-point lead, Jimmy Butler scored with 10.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 99-97. Denver wasn't in the bonus yet, so Michael Malone used a timeout to advance the ball after Miami fouled. Jokic made a pair of foul shots to double the lead and finish the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He came up short of joining rare company with a fifth consecutive triple-double.
"Very reminiscent of our Finals games," Malone said.
Aaron Gordon added 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals, powering his way through the Miami frontcourt during a key stretch early in the fourth quarter as Denver (41-19) was seeking insurance on a lead that had been slimmed to two the previous frame. Gordon helped get it back to 15 before the Heat made the late push.
Thomas Bryant was the last of four former Nuggets players from the 2022-23 championship team to be honored with a pregame ring ceremony upon return to Ball Arena.
But the circumstances of Bryant's reunion were unusual. He was still serving a three-game, league-issued suspension Thursday night after his involvement in a recent fight between Heat and Pelicans players. Suspended players typically aren't even allowed to be present in the arena for a game from which they're suspended, but the NBA made an exception to allow Bryant to receive his ring. He was spotted exiting Ball Arena via the loading dock about five minutes before the opening tip.
"I'm just glad that the NBA's letting him get the moment," Malone said. "Obviously they had the situation against New Orleans with suspensions, but that's where I think smarter heads prevailed in allowing Thomas to get the attention, recognition and the ring in front of a crowd."
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